Great thread. While I haven't traveled as much as some of the veterans here, I can relate to what OP is talking about. I think it really dawned on me when I was walking around the high end malls in Kowloon and suddenly realized the homogenizing effect of global markets. All the malls are starting to look the same with the same bullshit outlets and marking images plastered on their windows.
But so far the reward of traveling is and always have been the people you meet. Sure after staying even in half a dozen hostels in the same country you start to see the same type of people over and over again. And perhaps we are filling on of those stereotypical hostel types in the eyes of others as well. Which of course makes me want to educate myself and continue to strive for an independent and unique expression of my own existence. However, I still seem to meet amazing and interesting people and when I least expect it.
Some of my fondest memories are getting basic Japanese lady on a ferry to a remote island in the Seto Inland sea, getting invited to dinner by rich jaded expat hippies in Ibiza, seeing the shock on people's faces as they saw an asian driving an embassy rental BMW around in Montevideo and Punta del Este, eating spicy chicken and drinking beer with Republic of Korea Navy NCO's, and the list goes on. Sure our thirst for flags drives us but for me it has become a smaller and minor factor for traveling. Maybe my testosterone levels are going down.
And finally don't forget the sublime beauty of nature. Nature transcends borders, cultures, and people and it's the one true gift the earth gives us. I know some people don't care but over time I've grown to respect and love nature. I'm not a hippy by any means and stick to cities most of the time but I find myself going out to spend solitary time in nature more frequently over time.
Just my thoughts but like with anything in our lives our reasons for "why" we travel can and do change.
But so far the reward of traveling is and always have been the people you meet. Sure after staying even in half a dozen hostels in the same country you start to see the same type of people over and over again. And perhaps we are filling on of those stereotypical hostel types in the eyes of others as well. Which of course makes me want to educate myself and continue to strive for an independent and unique expression of my own existence. However, I still seem to meet amazing and interesting people and when I least expect it.
Some of my fondest memories are getting basic Japanese lady on a ferry to a remote island in the Seto Inland sea, getting invited to dinner by rich jaded expat hippies in Ibiza, seeing the shock on people's faces as they saw an asian driving an embassy rental BMW around in Montevideo and Punta del Este, eating spicy chicken and drinking beer with Republic of Korea Navy NCO's, and the list goes on. Sure our thirst for flags drives us but for me it has become a smaller and minor factor for traveling. Maybe my testosterone levels are going down.
And finally don't forget the sublime beauty of nature. Nature transcends borders, cultures, and people and it's the one true gift the earth gives us. I know some people don't care but over time I've grown to respect and love nature. I'm not a hippy by any means and stick to cities most of the time but I find myself going out to spend solitary time in nature more frequently over time.
Just my thoughts but like with anything in our lives our reasons for "why" we travel can and do change.